I've posted many videos to my YouTube channel...
Of the G-scale model trains that I like to set up in my house...
And out in my yard.
And G-scale trains are very impressive because...
They're so much larger than the most popular type of model trains: HO.
But today's video is about an even larger and more impressive type of model train.
And just to be clear, these trains are not at my house or running in my yard.
What you see here is a private layout at a large private property in San Luis Obispo county, California.
It's called the Bitter Creek Western Railroad.
It is NOT open to the public.
You can't take your kids there and ride these trains.
It's an invitation-only kind of deal.
And the other day, I got an invitation!
Model train enthusiasts from hundreds of miles away come here...
To run their trains on this big layout.
I got a real kick out of seeing all sorts of different kinds of trains running here.
Some had electric engines.
Some ran on gas-powered engines not much bigger than what's in a lawnmower.
Some ran on propane
And the most impressive one I saw was this steam locomotive...
That uses diesel fuel to heat up the boiler that makes the steam.
It was the most amazing model train I've ever seen...
And it was so cool to watch the owner fire it up...
And take it for a ride on the layout.
The highlight of my visit, of course, was when I got to ride on one of the trains!
And this is a surprisingly big layout which takes about 15 minutes to get all the way through it.
So let me take you for a ride now.
Sit back and enjoy the view, and the sounds...
Because here we go on a very long ride!
That was quite a ride, and I'm glad I got it all on video...
So you could experience it, too!
One of the things I really enjoyed watching and learning about...
Was how people transported their trains to this location in trailers...
Or even just in the back of a pickup truck.
And they have a pretty cool setup for getting the trains on to a section of track...
That can be raised or lowered to match the height of the vehicle that they arrived on.
From there, they move on to a real train turntable...
And then from there, they head out on to the main line.
I spent hours watching and learning about these trains.
Before my visit, I was worried the guys here would see me as an outsider.
But they couldn't have been nicer and more willing to let me look around and shoot lots of video.
I'm Jim Zim. It was fun seeing the big trains, but it's back to G-scale for me!
I've got a brand new train in my collection.
Here's a sneak peak at the Coca Cola train I recently bought.
You'll get a much better look at it in a future video.
So, subscribe to my channel so that YouTube will suggest that video to you...
As soon as I finally finish it and post it.
In the mean time, explore my channel and enjoy some of the many other model train videos I've already posted.